香港電子商貿持續增長，更有市場人士認為，今年的滲透率將達77%，至2025年更將達83.8%。香港具備稅務、實際位置及频繁的航班時間表等優勢，故已被評為最重要的國際物流樞紐之一。同時，擁有極為簡單的海關法規，及短交貨時間迅速，亦常被全球賣家視為香港的賣點。
凡事皆一體兩面。
相關的交付基礎設施必須滿足更高的交付量。高昂的土地成本一直是香港所有企業共同面對的挑戰。倉儲物流的正確選擇讓業務能安枕無憂地增長，但另方面卻是日常營運的一大障礙。
以下為不同類型的倉儲類型。
國際倉庫的類型（引述：國際倉庫：全球商務小貼士（2022）(shopify.hk)）
公共倉庫
在倉庫經營者自行決定下，公共倉庫開放予任何企業使用。一般而言，國際倉庫會是電子商貿企業的首選，因為他們可以透過支付一定費用，便能解決在本國以外的現有存儲和並滿足相當需求，而無需自行興建倉庫。
私人倉庫
與公共倉庫不同，私人倉庫由私營公司擁有。試想像一下將私人倉庫為你業務的延伸；若你的公司總部設於美國，你可以在另一個國家建立一個私人倉庫——僅供你個人使用——以滿足國際消費者的需求。
保稅倉庫
保稅倉庫是企業存放進出口貨物庫存的地方，亦稱為海關倉庫，由當地政府經營，是企業無需繳納稅款或進口關稅，便即可將產品帶入或帶出該國的一種途徑。
分發中心
國際分發中心有別於傳統的倉儲。當倉庫存儲貨物，而配送中心則可以執行其他任務，例如履行訂單和包裝貨物。部分運營商在同一家企業提供兩種服務。
要確定以上選項中的哪一個適合你的業務模式，首先需要清楚地確定以下問題：
1. 待儲存貨物的特性
2. 你的公司對存倉的要求
3. 預計需要存倉的時間
4. 倉庫保安
5. 未來擴展的靈活性
倉儲使你的企業能及時交付和優化貨物配送，從而提高勞工生產力及客戶滿意度。 同時，倉儲亦有助減少訂單履行過程中的錯誤和損壞。
事實上，倉儲物流涉及話題還有很多，包括倉儲管理系統、第三方物流的選擇等。總括而言，倉儲物流並非一成不變，它會隨著你的業務模式和實際需要，或它們所支配的任何其他因素而不時變動。成功的關鍵永遠是密切了解市場趨勢和情報，在千變萬化的物流世界中不斷學習和適應。
Hong Kong e-commerce continues to rise, with numbers said to reaching 77% penetration this year and going to be 83.8% in 2025. Hong Kong has been named to be one of the most important international logistics hubs, with its advantages on taxation, physical location as well as frequent flight schedule. The simplest customs rules and shortened delivery time from shipping out of Hong Kong is often used as a selling point for worldwide seller.
A coin has 2 sides.
The associated delivery infrastructure has to meet higher delivery volumes. High land cost has been the challenging point to all business unit in HK. Right choice of warehousing logistics enables a hassle-free growth of business, on the other hand a big hurdle of daily operations.
Here comes with different type of warehousing option.
Types of international Warehouse (Quoted: International Warehouses: Tips for Global Commerce (2022) (shopify.hk))
Public warehouse
A public warehouse is open for any business to use, at the discretion of the warehouse operator. It’s usually the first choice for ecommerce businesses looking for an international warehouse, since they can pay a fee to access existing storage and fulfillment options outside their own country, without building the warehouse themselves.
Private warehouse
Unlike a public option, private warehouses are owned by private companies. Think of them as extensions of your business. If your headquarters are in the US, you could build a private warehouse—solely for your own use—in another country to cater to international shoppers.
Bonded warehouse
A bonded warehouse is a place for businesses to store inventory set to be imported or exported. Also known as a customs warehouse and run by the local government, it’s a way for businesses to bring products in or out of the country without paying tax or import duties.
Distribution center
An international distribution center is different from traditional warehousing. A warehouse stores goods, while distribution centers can do additional tasks like fulfill and package orders. Some operators offer both services under the same roof.
To determine which of the above option fits your business model, few questions have to be clearly identified
1. Characteristics of goods to be stored
2. Storage requirements of your company
3. Estimated duration of storage needed
4. Security of the warehouse
5. Flexibility of future expansion
Warehousing allows your business for timely delivery and optimized distribution, leading to increased labor productivity and greater customer satisfaction. It also helps reduce errors and damage in the order fulfillment process.
More topics have to be involved for warehousing logistics including warehouse management system, choices of 3PL, etc. To conclude, warehousing logistics are not static. It changes from time to time with your business model and your physical needs, or any other factors that they govern. Key to the door of success will always be a close understand the market trends and intelligence, keep learning and adapting to all changes in the logistic world.